1. NOT REPORTING ABUSE ‘SHOULD BE CRIME’
Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions, has told the BBC he is in favour of penalising “certain categories of individual” if they fail to report child abuse. At present, professionals who discover that abuse has taken place are under no legal burden to report it. The government is opposed to mandatory reporting.
Keir Starmer: why silence over child abuse should be a crime
2. MORSI TRIAL ADJOURNED IN CHAOS
The trial of former Egyptian president and leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammed Morsi, has been adjorned to 8 January. The 'circus-like hearing' ended after Morsi refused to wear a prison uniform and repeatedly told the judge that his court was 'illegitimate'. Egypt’s security services are on high alert after Morsi’s supporters called for major protests.
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Mohammed Morsi tells judge his court is 'illegitimate'
3. TERROR SUSPECT ‘ESCAPED IN BURKA’
Counter-terrorism police are hunting a terror suspect, Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed, who was last seen entering a west London mosque and is believed to have evaded pursuit by changing into a burka inside the building. A ban on identifying Mohamed has been lifted as police seek public help to find him.
Labour calls for inquiry as Al-Shabaab suspect flees in burka
4. RESCUE PLAN FOR CO-OP BANK
The Co-op Group, which said two weeks ago it would lose control of its banking division, has given details of a rescue plan which allows it to retain 30% while creditors led by hedge funds take 70%. The bank is in trouble after a £1.5bn “hole” in its finances was found and a merger with Britannia caused problems.
5. BROOKS ACCUSED OF HIDING NOTEBOOKS
Rebekah Brooks was involved in a "deliberate effort" to conceal sensitive material from police in the "panic stricken" period prior to the closure of the News of the World, a court has heard. Brooks, the former chief executive of News International (NI), and her secretary, Cheryl Carter, have been accused of trying to conceal seven boxes of notebooks taken from the NI archive in mid-2011.
Rebekah Brooks 'concealed' material from police, court told
6. ADVENTURER FOUND ALIVE IN CANADA
A 44-year-old adventurer, Marco Lavoie, has been airlifted alive to safety after being stranded in remote woodland in Quebec by a bear for three months, leaving him so weak he could not speak or walk. The bear ate Lavoie’s food and damaged his equipment and canoe. He was forced to kill and eat his pet dog to survive.
7. TREAT FGM AS CHILD ABUSE, SAY DOCTORS
A coalition of health professionals is urging the government to treat the traditional mutilation of girls’ genitals by some ethnic groups in the UK as child abuse. The report’s authors say professionals who encounter evidence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) should have a responsibility to report it to the police.
8. POLICE QUESTION MAN OVER GIRLS’ DEATHS
Police are continuing to ask questions of a 20-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder after a car struck and killed two teenage girls who were walking along a road in Gosport, Hampshire in the early hours of Sunday morning. Jasmine Allsop, 14, died at the scene while Olivia Lewry, 16, was pronounced dead in hospital.
9. NAIROBI WESTGATE ATTACK: FOUR CHARGED
Four people have been charged over the four-day siege at the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi in September, in which more than 60 people were killed. The four suspects, believed to be ethnic Somalis, have been charged with aiding terrorist groups in Kenya and being in Kenya illegally.
Nairobi Westgate attack: four charged over mall massacre
10. HOT TICKET: CHINESE MASTERPIECES AT V&A
A new exhibition of traditional Chinese painting has opened at the V&A. Masterpieces of Chinese Painting 700-1900 presents over 70 artworks, including rare silk paintings, banners and large-scale scrolls, charting the progress of styles and themes over 1,200 years. "Breathtaking," says the Financial Times. Until 19 January.
V&A's 'dazzling' Masterpieces of Chinese Painting - reviews
